The members then opted to try one last time after apparently reaching a last-minute deal as they were voting on a motion to adjourn. This time, the votes were finally there.
The drawn-out opposition to McCarthy came from a small group of Republicans who seemingly don’t trust him and demanded concessions, such as less government spending and specific policy changes, like allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust the speaker.
Many of the Republicans who voted against McCarthy are part of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus and were endorsed by former president Donald Trump. Most of them denied the outcome of the 2020 election.
On Tuesday night, after the first day of voting, Sean Hannity of Fox News said on air that House Republicans “are now on the verge of becoming a total clown show if they’re not careful.”
House Democrats, on the other hand, consistently united behind Jeffries, who was the top vote-getter until McCarthy and his allies managed to convince their colleagues to fall in line.
“This is a disaster for the Republicans,” Fox News host Steve Doocy said Wednesday on Fox & Friends.
Here were some of the best online reactions to this very chaotic start to 2023 as the mess unfolded.
